Cinderella story

Cerpen Bahasa Inggris - Cinderella story

Once upon a time there was a beautiful, sweet young girl, with blue eyes and long, blonde hair. She was the daughter of a rich merchant who loved her dearly. When her mother died, her father decided his daughter would need a good woman to bring her up and take care of her, and so he married again. Unfortunately, the stepmother turned out to be greedy and selfish, and her two daughters, the stepsisters of the beautiful young girl, were arrogant and envious. Since the merchant often had to travel, the step­mother and stepsisters began to rule the household. The young girl was forced always to dress in rags, dirty from dust and cinders, so much so that everyone soon began to call her “Cinderella.”

One day, the son of the king, who wished, to marry, invited all the young women in the kingdom to a great ball, so that he could meet them and choose a wife. In Cinderella's house, they began to make great prep­arations: expensive clothes were purchased, different hairstyles were tried, and a selection was made of jewels to wear. Nothing made Cinder­ella's stepmother and stepsisters happy and she, as usual, served them without a word of complaint. She, too, had been invited to the ball, but her stepmother had refused to take her.

At last, the long awaited evening arrived: the stepsisters were trans­formed, each wearing a beautiful dress and covered in jewels. Cinderella felt so unhappy a.^, she watched them depart. She too would have loved to go to the ball, she too would have loved to wear a silk dress! The poor girl couldn't hold back her sobs. She cried so much that the floor was bathedin her tears, but when she raised her eyes.... she was face to face with a beautiful lady. It was her fairy godmother.

“Why are you crying, little Cinder­ella? Do you, too, wish to go to the ball?” the lady asked her.

“The ball is no place for me,” replied Cinderella sadly.

“We'll see about that. Bring me a pumpkin,”

With one touch of her magic wand, the lady changed the pumpkin into a splendid carriage, she changed four mice into horses and a couple of lizards into coachmen in livery.

“Everything is ready,” said her fairy godmother, “you may go to the ball.”

“But.... dressed like this?” said Cinderella, pointing to her rags.

The fairy godmother sighed. “You're absolutely right.” With a wave of her wand, the rags disappeared and Cinderella found herself wearing a silk dress studded In gold, crystal slippers and precious jewels: only Cinderella's lovely face needed no change, for now she was happy and smiling.

“Now get in and go,” said the fairy godmother. “But remember, at the first stroke of midnight, you must leave the ball. At that moment, my spell will cease to work: the carriage will again become a pumpkin, the horses will be mice again, and the coachmen will become lizards once more. And you will be the same Cinderella as before, dressed in rags.”

The ball was fabulous. Everyone admired the unknown princess and the prince insisted on dancing with her all evening. Cinderella's heart over­flowed with joy,

Then the clock struck the first stroke of midnight. Cinderella did not lose a moment. Still smiling, she ran quickly away. The prince ran after her, but could not catch her. The only trace of her that he found was a little crystal slipper that Cinderella had lost voile running down the palace stairs.

At the palace the prince was deso­late. He had to find the beautiful girl who was at the ball, the one who had lost her slipper. There was a royal announcement: all the young maidens in the kingdom were to try on the slipper and the prince would marry the girl it fitted perfectly.

The morning after, the court officials began their search, but not one young maiden managed to fit into the extra­ordinary slipper. Finally, the prince arrived at the merchant's house and both of the stepsisters tried on the slipper. Absolutely useless! It was so small and so delicate that they could not even get their toes into it.

The prince, who was growing ever more sad and despondent, was about to leave when he noticed Cinderella, who was standing shyly in the background.

“And who are you?” he asked.

“Oh, she's only a servant....”replied the stepmother. But the prince looked into Cinderella's eyes and, in great excitement, commanded her to sit down before the chamberlain. She extended her foot.

The slipper was a perfect fit. Immediately, Cinderella was dressed as she was at the ball. The prince asked her to be his wife and the marriage was celebrated that very day. It was a magnificent ceremony, worthy of their great love.

And as regards the stepmother and the stepsisters? The prince might have wanted to punish them for their wick­edness, but Cinderella chose to forgive them. She invited them all to come and live with her at the royal palace and, soon after, the two stepsisters married two noble knights of the court. Her stepmo^ther at last realised the error of her ways and became kind and gentle to everyone.

So the story finished with the most beau^tiful spell of all — they lived happily ever after.

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